The type of music you listen to may have a large impact. Most studio near-field monitors are meant to be very revealing (so recording engineers can hear what is being done to the signal as they lay down a mix). I have a home project studio in which I use Tannoy NFM 8s (with 8" dual concentric drivers) run by solid state electronics. My listening room however uses tubes and speakers with a rolled-off high end, which I prefer when I'm listening to classical music. For jazz and rock the monitors may be just the thing. You can get a pair of Tannoy Reveal active monitors from www.musiciansfriend.com for $799 with a 45 day money back satisfaction guarantee. Hard to beat.
"Pro" Active Monitors
What does anyone think about using a pair of active "pro" studio monitors? As a point of reference, I have my eye on a pair of Tannoy Reveal Active monitors ($899 USD Retail).
They are essentially a pair of small two-way montiors, four internal monoblock amplifiers (two per speaker), and each speaker is outfitted with an internal active crossover.
They have XLR balanced inputs for connection to a preamplifier, as well as IEC power sockets for connection of one power cable to each speaker.
Am I missing something, or is this the best "budget" route to go for reference-quality sound? What do you think?
They are essentially a pair of small two-way montiors, four internal monoblock amplifiers (two per speaker), and each speaker is outfitted with an internal active crossover.
They have XLR balanced inputs for connection to a preamplifier, as well as IEC power sockets for connection of one power cable to each speaker.
Am I missing something, or is this the best "budget" route to go for reference-quality sound? What do you think?